Echoes of historical events can be found in ancient chronicles and annals, but we can also read them on the walls of famous and magnificent buildings. It is a true luxury to be able to see sanctuaries built several hundred years ago. In Lviv, such a sanctuary is the St. Nicholas Royal Church.
The beginnings of the church, its status and significance
The Church of St. Nicholas is located in the heart of ancient Lviv. This is the oldest part of the city. The square known today as the Old Market was the economic and political center of the royal city. Nearby, on a hill that no longer exists today, was a wooden castle of the founders and first rulers of Lviv. The St. Nicholas Church is an important component and logistical center of the oldest part of the city. The sanctuary dates back to the 13th century.
It is unknown who founded and funded the church. There is a hypothesis that the sanctuary was of great importance to King Danylo, Prince Leo and their descendants. Perhaps it was a burial place or was used as a treasury. It is not excluded that it was actually built by merchants - St. Nicholas was their patron saint, and the Fish Market (the old name of the Old Market Square) was an important center of trade and economic life of the city.
The St. Nicholas Church in history
The first mention of the church dates back to the 15th century. In the middle of the next century, a fraternity operated at the sanctuary. It had a school and a hospital. According to documents from the 17th century, the church was not poor - it had "numerous fields, hayfields, gardens, apiaries, wells, swamps...".
The sanctuary acquired its current appearance at the beginning of the 19th century. The reason was a fire, after which the church was rebuilt. Fragments of walls and foundations have survived from ancient times. According to the plan, the Church of St. Nicholas has the appearance of a Greek equilateral cross and resembles churches in Istria and Dalmatia.
Present and St. Nicholas Church
The St. Nicholas Church is one of the oldest in Lviv and Ukraine. It is an active church of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The wall paintings and iconostasis date back to the mid-20th century, but the sanctuary also has relics from the 17th-18th centuries. In particular, the icon of St. Theodore from the no longer existing Church of St. Theodore is preserved here.
